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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: New Plans and Old Rivals
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“The second floor. Can we clear it?”
We discussed our next goal. The topic was the Labyrinth's second floor.
“The second, second floor...!”
“I think we're more than capable.”
Reactions were sharply divided on the same topic.
It was only natural, really. Jeremy was still a beginner, having only just entered and exited the Labyrinth once.
Densi, on the other hand, had quite a bit of experience navigating the Labyrinth while toiling as a slave.
'Even if it was only up to the third floor.'
Conversely, it meant she had a solid grasp of the Labyrinth up to the second floor.
“When I was slaving away under Deluna, our party managed to clear up to the third floor. We couldn't even dream of the fourth, but I believe the three of us are more than capable of handling the second.”
Densi continued immediately.
“Of course, Deluna's party had her as a mage and plenty of swordsmen for meat shields, but... our combination isn't bad either.”
A front-line warrior, a spear user, and an archer-cum-guide.
With just three people, it would be hard to find a more stable combination than this.
If we had to wish for something, it would be a Priest, but finding a Priest isn't easy.
'Priests and mages are a minority compared to other professions.'
High demand, low supply.
Unless they have special objectives like slave hunting, like Deluna, Priests and mages don't bother with the first or second floors.
Especially 'proper' Priests or mages; they say you can only find them in parties tackling the fifth floor or higher.
Suddenly, I found myself missing Adolf, but then I remembered that even she was flawed enough to rely on random matching to find a party as a Priest, so she quickly faded from my mind.
“Won't I just be a burden on the second floor...?”
Jeremy seemed worried that she, who struggled even on the first floor, would be a burden, but it's hard for someone with an EXP buff to fall behind.
She'll probably have the highest level among us after just a few more runs in the Labyrinth.
“There are plenty of Goblins on the second floor too.”
“Then we have no choice but to go. Those bastards...”
When I pressed her 'berserk button' to motivate her, Jeremy gnashed her teeth and lovingly caressed her backpack.
“Just out of curiosity, what's in that backpack—”
“Are you curious?”
“Oh, no. Never mind.”
For some reason, I felt reluctant to ask, fearing it might contain Anya's now-smooth head.
Anyway, our next Labyrinth expedition was set, with the second floor as our target.
It wasn't an arrogant decision. It was the result of a thorough self-assessment and careful deliberation.
“You can think of the second floor as a slightly condensed version of the first, with added traps.”
And we have enough power to handle even Goblin monsters.
“And the second floor, with its minefield of traps, is my territory.”
Because Densi was a guide who had been to the second floor dozens of times.
***
After a quick briefing, we agreed to meet on the day the Labyrinth opened this week and parted ways.
“But why are you following me?”
For some reason, Densi was trailing behind me.
“Huh? Where would a slave go if not with their master?”
Densi asked with a bewildered expression, as if wondering where else she *could* go.
The decisive reasons for taking Densi as a slave were to prevent betrayal and for ease of giving orders, and it seemed clear that in this world, slaves were largely treated as property or possessions.
“I gave you money. You can just get an inn room.”
“As a slave, I can't get a proper room on my own...”
Densi said, her face falling for a moment. Seeing her like that somehow reminded me of the old days.
After all, I was also sleeping on the streets until Diana took me in.
“So. Can't we just live together?”
“Uh, no.”
Just as a flicker of sympathy arose, she immediately spouted something that shattered all notions of propriety.
Densi might have been a bit strange in the head and her intentions questionable, but her appearance was perfectly fine—even excellent, one might say.
The Labyrinth was stressful enough just standing still, but outside, and sleeping in the same room, just the two of us?
I wasn't confident I could get through the night unscathed...
“Tch... Fine, I'll concede a hundred steps and take the room next to yours, Master. Wouldn't that be more convenient than going back and forth from far away?”
“What would we need to go back and forth for?”
“Well, you never know what might happen, right? Hehe.”
It seemed she wouldn't give up on the idea easily.
I could have simply ordered her to sleep somewhere else, but I didn't want to expend emotional energy on something so trivial.
“Hmph. Fine, I'll ask the inn owner where I'm staying. But it might not be possible.”
“Yahoo!”
Densi threw her arms wide in joy. As she bounced around excitedly, I gave her leash a tug.
The leash handle naturally settled comfortably in my hand.
After doing it so many times, the action felt surprisingly natural now. It was like walking a dog.
As we walked through the quiet streets as if on a stroll, the Cozy Winter Night inn soon came into view.
As soon as I opened the door and stepped inside, I saw Diana tidying the tables for the evening's business.
“I'm back, Diana.”
“Oh. Balkan, you're back—”
Thud—
The rag slipped from Diana's hand and fell to the floor.
Diana's gaze creaked like an ungreased pedal, slowly shifting towards Densi, who stood beside me.
Then her gaze landed on the leash, traveling up to my hand, which held its handle.
Diana's eyes returned to mine.
“...Balkan?”
Only then did I realize how our current appearance might look from an objective standpoint.
First off, it wasn't a normal situation.
“Oh. She's going to be a party member and a slave from now on. Her name is Prickly... no, I mean Densi.”
I hastily dropped the leash and made my excuses.
Slavery was legal in this world. You could see slaves commonly just by stepping out into the market district.
I hadn't done anything wrong, yet with Diana looking at me like that, I felt as if I'd committed something truly guilt-inducing.
[...Just now, you called her by a pet name...?]
Diana's lips moved as if to say something, but it was blocked by some strange obstruction, making it hard to hear.
“Please take good care of me! Auntie!”
As Densi bowed her head deeply in greeting, Diana's expression, usually a gentle smile with narrowed eyes, instantly crumbled.
Her eyes, revealing their brilliant amber irises, opened slightly.
“...What did you just call me?”
Densi raised her head and smiled a smug, bitter smile.
“Auntie? ...Ah, well then, perhaps I should call you 'Owner'?”
“...”
The smile vanished from Diana's face. The corners of her lips, usually upturned, stiffened. Her narrowed eyes were incredibly cold.
“Ugh—”
I hastily tugged Densi's leash.
What's wrong with her, suddenly? Is she crazy?
“I'm so sorry, Diana. She's a bit uneducated, so I'll apologize on her behalf.”
I pressed Densi's head down and bowed along with her.
“She has nowhere to go, and I've somehow become her owner, so I was wondering if there are any spare rooms in the inn? Of course, I'll pay the cost.”
“Double room! Do you have a double room, Auntie? A big, comfy bed. If not, a twin room is fine too.”
“Please, just shut up for a moment...”
Because every time you open your mouth, Diana's expression changes in a serious way.
In the past month, I had never seen such a look on Diana's face.
'No, it wasn't just her expression changing.'
A chilling aura emanated from Diana, and her usually neatly arranged hair began to subtly float upwards.
“...You truly are an interesting child.”
Her expression didn't look amused at all, but Diana said that while glaring at Densi. With her eyes open, Diana's entire demeanor had completely transformed. Honestly, it was a bit intimidating.
“Your situation seems unfortunate, but regrettably, there are no rooms left.”
“...Really? Master. Come to think of it, slaves are treated as property anyway, so we can share a room. Should we just sleep in the same bed?”
“Our inn has one person per room. And of course, slaves aren't allowed either.”
That wasn't true. The Cozy Winter Night inn actually had quite a few rooms with three or four people in them.
But it seemed that from now on, it would be strictly one person per room. Because Diana said so.
“...”
“...”
Diana and Densi crossed their arms and glared at each other. If this were a comic, there would probably be sparks flying between their gazes.
The atmosphere was utterly ruined. I could barely breathe.
If there had been customers around the tables, they'd have choked on their food, gagging and getting indigestion.
Ultimately, unable to bear the atmosphere, I dragged Densi out of the inn by her leash.
She was still glaring at Diana, arms crossed, as she was dragged along.
Only after pulling Densi out into the inn's alleyway could I finally breathe freely.
“Hey. What in the world are you...?”
What nerve do you have to... Ah. You don't have a Status Window. You're a dull one. Yes. I understand. But there won't be a next time.
“Was that woman just now the inn owner?”
“Yeah. She's like a benefactor to me. So make sure you apologize later.”
“...*Her*?”
What on earth did Diana look like through her eyes?
“Master. I'm not usually one to say this, but...”
Densi pondered for a while, arms crossed, before finally speaking as if she couldn't hold it in any longer.
“That woman is seriously dangerous. From her very appearance, she's a crazy female, filled to the brim with thoughts of raising someone for her own pleasure.”
It was insane nonsense.
***
Densi entered another inn a block away.
Because she was a slave, I had to vouch for her identity, and then I returned to Diana's inn.
“...I'm fine. I don't know how you ended up with such a... no, *that* kind of slave, but everyone has their circumstances.”
“I appreciate you thinking that way, but...”
“Yes. Of course. Absolutely. I'm truly fine, so don't worry too much.”
Perhaps she was significantly shocked by 'that word,' but I tried to comfort Diana, who didn't look fine at all.
It was awkward to do anything special or offer specific comfort, so I just stayed by her side.
“...”
Diana didn't say anything, but that alone seemed to make her feel much better.
Because her expression was gradually regaining its original smile.
Separately, I was a little curious. Just how old was Diana?
I had vaguely heard rumors that the stronger one became by entering the Labyrinth, the more they defied aging, which only piqued my curiosity further, but asking in this situation felt like crossing a point of no return, so I held back.
As I idled away the time, evening business hours eventually rolled around.
It was time to return as Balkan, the part-timer at the Cozy Winter Night inn's pub, not Balkan the rookie explorer.
As the sun set and dusk deepened, customers flooded into the pub.
“Appetizers for tables 6 and 8 are ready!”
“Yes!”
I moved frantically, delivering orders and tidying the hall whenever I had a moment. They paid me so well that I couldn't slack off.
Before I knew it, the sun had set, and stars began to appear in the sky.
It was a world without streetlights, so the moonlight was truly bright, but I had no time to enjoy such scenery and gain peace of mind, instead being swept along by the boisterous laughter of people drinking and chatting, dealing with troublesome customers.
Creak—
Suddenly, I was once again struck by how amazing Diana's cooking skills were.
With people continuously coming in even this late at night, it truly deserved to be called one of the best pubs in Valerius.
Perhaps that's why many of those who frequented this place were unusual individuals.
[Zirnier Basil Lv.6X]
A woman wearing an oddly designed mask and cloaked in a mantle.
Other revealed information showed the woman had waist-length blonde hair and slightly tanned skin.
She was one of the mysterious duo who occasionally visited Diana's pub.
Normally, when one of them arrived, Diana would appear like a ghost, take their order, serve them, and handle everything herself, but perhaps due to the emotional damage she'd sustained today, she still showed no sign of leaving the kitchen.
Several stoves were running in the kitchen. It would be a while before the food was ready.
Eventually, I went over to the masked woman.
“What would you like to order, customer?”
“The usual.”
What's 'the usual'? You bitch.
I was dumbfounded for a brief moment, when the masked woman, who hadn't even looked at me while speaking, slightly turned her head sideways.
She was still bowing her head, so from her angle, she would have barely seen my abdomen and lower body.
“What? It's not Diana? Ah, I knew it. No way a dog would call me 'customer'.”
The woman, who let out a small laugh to herself, slowly looked up at me.
“You're that male part-timer Diana supposedly picked up...”
And then she froze.
“...”
A strange gaze emanated from beneath the mask, which had no eyeholes or breathing holes. Was it thanks to my perception? I could feel the direction of her gaze, however faintly.
A gaze that would normally slowly descend to one's body or groin was fixed solely on my head.
I unconsciously touched my face. My helmet was still firmly on.
The Great Helm I'd acquired before going into the Labyrinth.
The strange standoff between the masked woman and the helmeted man was broken by the woman's stunned voice.
“That helmet, did *you* buy it...?”
What? Why is she suddenly talking about my helmet?
But I couldn't help but respond. Buying this helmet had been the wisest purchase I'd made in the Labyrinth city.
Its effects, of course, and its design were exactly to my liking, so I was quite satisfied with it.
“Yeah. Pretty badass, right?”
At my confident voice, the woman let out a small laugh.
“You little... So you *do* know a thing or two, huh?”
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